Earwig: Sonic Theatre Podcasts

Novelist, musician and playwright Luke Sutherland takes us on a journey in to Scotland’s dark colonial past. Following the death of his beloved grandmother, Raymond discovers a defaced family tree tucked away in her handbag. When his daughter picks up the research several years later, startling truths are unearthed regarding illegitimate children, witch-trials and the family’s involvement in Scotlands brutal slave trade. Drawing on the immediately recognisable form of podcast interview, Fortunes is a timely piece that puts the listener in the midst of family drama, as father and daughter are forced to confront their bloody heritage. Creator/Sound Designer: Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by George Anton, Saskia Ashdown & Ann Louise RossOriginal music composed and performed by Allison StringerArrangement by Danny KrassEarwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

JO CLIFFORD’S Slug Love brings sex, identity, family relationships and the pitfalls of human nature into orbit around these curious, sensual, and thoughtful molluscs.  Through the boundless and innocent imagination of a child, JO is able to hone in on these creatures, and begin a conversation.  They speak of pleasure, patience and the limitations of language, but indicate the limitless potential for humans to slow down, open up, and be much more meaningfully together.  This is juxtaposed with experiences from JO’s own life, where openness, love and togetherness have been scarce in the culture and habits of the human world.Creator/Composer/Sound Designer: Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by Jo Clifford, Harry MacDonald, Reuben Joseph & Jude WilliamsOriginal music by  Danny KrassEarwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

Morna Pearson, hits us up with her characteristic bone-dry and pitch-black wit in this week's episode.  Kate travels home to Elgin for Christmas to find the pitfalls of old friends, old habits, and cheesy nights out looming large.  Her troubled sojourn in Edinburgh haunts her, and mistakes and hard won lessons of early adulthood are tested as she finds herself back home once more.  Bubbling beats and twisted nocturnal atmospheres, underscore this bold experiment in Doric Rhyme.Creator/Composer/Sound Designer: Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by Danielle Jam & Jack McCreadyAdditional performances by Robbie Jack & Rosalind SydneyOriginal music by  Danny KrassEarwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

He’s just trying to cook a curry for the man he’s grown to love.  He’s been neglecting his maw, not calling, not joining in with zoom trivia.  Now, as he tries to build the nerve to say how he feels, it is her voice that comes to the fore.  Taunting him, criticising, teasing and above all telling the truth the way only a mother can.  Johnny McKnight’s exquisite and gentle comedy, rides waves of self doubt, insecurity and fragile romance, in one mans attempt to express his love for his friend and come to terms with the voices in his head.Creator/Composer/Sound Designer: Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by Robbie Jack & Ann Louise RossAdditional performances by Reuben Joseph & Rosalind SydneyOriginal music by  Danny KrassAdditional sound editing by Shaun ClarkEarwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

Densely Poetic, uncanny, and wise, Hannah Lavery’s There is still something yet to discover is a walk in the woods like no other.  Fiercely contemporary yet timeless, this uncompromising  exploration confronts the impossibility of self-knowledge, the cruel and slippery elasticity of time, and the bewitching influence of folklore as it seeps through invisible gaps in our physical world and manifests in a dark and soulful waking dream.  Through this lens we see motherhood, domesticity, and social isolation anew, in a deeply personal and meditative sonic Poem.  Adding extra resonance are the singular and subtly dissonant sounds of Julia Reidy’s twelve string guitar.Creator/Composer/Sound Designer: Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by Sharon Duncan-Brewster & Kathryn JosephGuitar: Julia ReidyOriginal music by  Julia Reidy and Danny KrassEarwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

Stef Smith’s The Deadlift places the listener in the extreme present, inside the experiences of two women fighting for a way forward.  Injury, isolation, domestic inertia, and the strong hand of personal habits and history, all offer impediments.  But the steady and sometimes brutal logic of lifting weights offers a discipline, a practice, a path to progress, but also creates a space to reflect and to heal.  Part poem, part play, part meditation, performed by Ashley Smith and Renee Williams and with live percussion by Australian musician, Alon Ilsar, The Deadlift is the perfect place to begin Earwig Season 1.Creator/Composer/Sound Designer – Danny KrassDirected by Finn den HertogPerformed by Ashley Smith & Renee Williams Drums/Percussion: Alon Ilsar Original music by Danny Krass and Alon Ilsar Earwig has been commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.

The premier season of Earwig presents new six new pieces by Scottish based playwrights, commissioned especially to explore the possibilities of sonic theatre.  Incorporating text, sound design and music, Earwig seeks to challenge, inspire, envelope and embrace its audience, inviting you deep in to the inner world of its characters, placing you, the listener, at the centre of the drama.Episode 1 will premiere on the 27th January 2021.Earwig was commissioned by Tron Theatre with support from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.